Village Square Booksellers News

32 The Square, Bellows Falls, VT 05101 802-463-9404 Open Daily www.villagesquarebooks.com

The Rockingham Free Public Library will host a candidates evening for the Library Board of Trustees on Wed Feb 20 at 6 p.m. The public is invited. Candidates for 2 3-year seats: Incumbent Dorothy Read, Steve Fuller SR, Heidi Lauricella, Robert McBride & Denny Partridge.  Candidate for a 1 year term: L. Raymond Massucco.  802-463-4270 for more info. - - - - - - - - Candidates for the Rockingham selectboard and school board will meet voters in a forum Thursday, Feb. 21, at 7 p.m. in the Woman's Club room at the Rockingham town hall. The forum will be telecast live on FACTv/Channel 8 and rebroadcast later. (Filmed by Alan Fowler) Sponsor of the forums is Citizens for Participation in Rockingham (CPR). Candidates for Rockingham school board will make statements and answer questions from 7 to 8 p.m.  (moderated by Louise Luring), followed by Rockingham Selectboard candidates at 8. Anyone unable to attend who has a question to pose to the candidates may call (802) 869-2566 before Feb. 21.   (Or send Pat an email- info@villagesquarebooks.com  or hit reply) Running for one two-year term on the Rockingham school board are Samantha Maskell and Tim Doherty, while Joe Brissette and Mike Empey are facing off for one three-year seat. The Selectboard race has five candidates vying for two one-year seats. They are Dennis Harty, Stefan Golec, Jamey Berrick, Jeffrey Wilson and Peter Golec. Ann Dibernardo and Scott Falzo are running for one three-year seat. Running unopposed for the WNESU school board are Matt Guild for a one- year seat and Jan Mitchell-Love for a three-year seat. Robert Thomson has no opposition for a two-year seat on the selectboard. More Tickets at VS Books: Richard Shindel at Boccelli's (FUR) Feb 28 $24 Women’s Film Festival – March 14- 23^rd. $35 for 5 shows, $30 students/SRs. $8 door, $100 Benefactor pass Sarah Lee / Johnny at Boccelli's (FUR) Mar 29 $15

Upcoming Events: 1st Saturdays, 1-4pm Strategy Games -  Feb 2 2nd Saturdays, 2-4pm Open Mic Poetry -  River Voices – Feb 9 3rd Friday Art Walk-  Village Square Booksellers coordinates the event. 3rd Saturdays, 2-4pm American Girl Club - Feb 16 Sun April 13- Doug Rose- Fearless Puppy Fri April 18, 7pm- Reeve Lindbergh  - 3rd Friday Art Walk event - Forward from Here: Leaving Middle Age--And Other Unexpected Adventures -   In this moving collection of never-before-published essays, the author of "NoMore Words" and "Under a Wing" meditates on getting older and reflects on her famous parents--Charles and Anne Morrow Lindbergh. Just Arrived A new selection of toys and games from Melissa & Doug; Dominoes, Doll furniture, Puzzles, Plush Toys; Poster Paints, & other art supplies for children; Craft Kits; Baby & Toddler Toys The Main Street Arts Presents Gilbert & Sullivan’s HMS Pinafore A classic musical comedy of love and mischief on the high seas! Feb. 29, Mar. 1, 6, 7, & 8 at 8 PM -Mar. 2 & 9 at 3 PM Tickets available for advanced purchase or at the door $15 Adults / $10 Students . Tickets available at: Main Street Arts  or Village Square Booksellers, Bellows Falls  -  CASH OR CHECK MADE OUT TO MSA, please Enjoy a pre-theater dinner at The Inn at Saxtons River! Special: $21, all inclusive. Dinner Reservations Recommended MAIN STREET ARTS Celebrating 20 Years as your community arts center! Saxtons River, (802) 869-2960 www.MainStreetArts.org

Book Notes:  email books@villagesquarebooks.com to reserve books

PREORDER Change of Heart by Jodi Picoult A decade after being convicted of the murder of young Elizabeth Nealon and her cop stepfather, a death row inmate seeks salvation by offering to become an organ donor for Elizabeth's sister.  Can we save ourselves, or do we rely on others to do it? One moment June Nealon was happily looking forward to years full of laughter and adventure with her family, and the next, she was staring into a future that was as empty as her heart. Now her life is a waiting game: for time to heal her wounds, for justice, waiting for a miracle to happen. For Shay Bourne, life holds no more surprises. The world has given him nothing, and he has nothing to offer the world. He has one last chance for salvation, and it lies with June's eleven-year-old daughter, Claire. But between Shay and Claire stretches an ocean of bitter regrets, and the rage of a mother who has lost her child. Would you give up your vengeance against someone you hate if it meant saving someone you love? Once again, Jodi Picoult mesmerizes and enthralls readers with this story of redemption, justice, and love.  Simon & Schuster $26.95.  Alan just started reading our preview copy this past weekend and is enjoying seeing how the story develops. Due into the store on March 4th- Email books@villagesquarebooks.com to reserve a copy.

Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult Set in a small town in the wake of a horrific school shooting, the book brings together lawyer Jordan McAfee, who represents a boy who desperately needs someone on his side, and Patrick Ducharme, the intrepid detective whose best witness is the daughter of the superior court judge.   Sterling is an ordinary New Hampshire town where nothing ever happens--until the day its complacency is shattered by an act of violence. Josie Cormier, the daughter of the judge sitting on the case, should be the state's best witness, but she can't remember what happened before her very own eyes--or can she? Fault lines between the high school and the adult community begin to show--destroying the closest of friendships and families. What does it mean to be different in our society, who has the right to judge someone else, and is anyone ever really who they seem to be? Simon & Schuster $15 "A must-read for every parent & teacher- & anyone who works with kids. Once I started reading it, I couldn't put it down.  Very thought-provoking.  Importance of ensuring that bullying does not take place in our schools and communities.   It's just come out in trade paperback."  Pat 

Telephone Gambit by Seth Shulman A gripping intrigue at the heart of one of the world's most important inventions. ---While researching Alexander Graham Bell at MIT's Dibner Institute, Seth Shulman scrutinized Bell's journals and within them he found the smoking gun, a hint of deeply buried historical intrigue. Delving further, Shulman unearthed the surprising story behind the invention of the telephone: a tale of romance, corruption, and unchecked ambition. Bell furtively--and illegally--copied part of Elisha Gray's invention in the race to secure what would become the most valuable U.S. patent ever issued. As Bell's device led to the world's largest monopoly, American Telephone & Telegraph Co, he hid his invention's illicit beginnings. Shulman challenges the reputation of an icon of invention, rocks the foundation of a corporate behemoth, and offers a probing meditation on how little we know about our own history.  Norton $24.95  "Really liked the book- corrects a long-standing misconception. Well-written, easy to read, keeps your interest." Tim Powers 

Runemarks by Joanne Harris Seven o'clock on a Monday morning, five hundred years after the end of the world, and goblins had been at the cellar again. . . . Not that anyone would admit it was goblins. In Maddy Smith's world, order rules. Chaos, old gods, fairies, goblins, magic, glamours-all of these were supposedly vanquished centuries ago. But Maddy knows that a small bit of magic has survived. The "ruinmark" she was born with on her palm proves it-and makes the other villagers fearful that she is a witch (though helpful in dealing with the goblins-in-the-cellar problem). But the mysterious traveler One-Eye sees Maddy's mark not as a defect, but as a destiny. And Maddy will need every scrap of forbidden magic One-Eye can teach her if she is to survive that destiny. Random House $18.99. "This fantasy debut is by the bestselling author of Chocolat. Several adult authors are trying their hands at writing Young Adult novels including Greg MacGuire's What the Dickens & James Patterson's Maximum Ride series. I just read in a trade newsletter that the publisher of James Patterson's Maximum Ride: The Final Warning, and The Dangerous Days of Daniel X, the first title in a new young-adult series due out in July, has asked bookstores to keep them displayed near his new adult titles. " Pat

Fancy Nancy Bonjour, Butterfly by Jane O’Connor Nancy thinks butterflies are simply exquisite. And that is why she can't wait for her friend Bree's Butterfly Birthday. It's going to be the fanciest birthday party ever! But when Nancy finds out she can't go because her grandparents' fiftieth anniversary party is the same day, she is furious. (Mad is way too plain for how she feels.) Will Nancy be able to overcome her disappointment? Everybody's favorite fancy girl gets a surprise lesson in fancy from her grandparents. Looks like fancy runs in the family after all! Harper Collins $16.99

Why Mars and Venus Collide: Improving Relationships by Understanding How Men and Women Cope Differently with Stress by John Gray In "Why Mars and Venus Collide," Gray focuses on the ways that men and women misinterpret and mismanage the stress in their daily lives, and how these reactions ultimately affect their relationships. "It's not that he's just not into you; he needs to fulfill a biological need," Gray explains. "And it's not that she wants to henpeck you; she also has a biological drive." He shows, for instance, how a husband's withdrawal is actually a natural way for him to replenish his depleted testosterone levels and restore his well-being, and how a woman's need for conversation and support helps her build her own stress-reducing hormone, oxytocin. Harper Collins $24.95

RECONCILIATION: Islam, Democracy, and the West BY Benazir Bhutto From the former Prime Minister of Pakistan, who finished writing this book just days before her tragic assassination on December 27, 2007, comes RECONCILIATION, her bold vision for how to reconcile the rapidly growing tension between Islam and the West, Benazir Bhutto’s final words. It is a clarion call to bridge the gap between extremist Islam and the West, and it is all the more powerful coming directly from Bhutto moments before she became a victim of Islamic terrorism herself. Bhutto explores the complicated history between Pakistan and the West, tracing the roots of international terrorism to American support for General Zia ul Haq, who destroyed political parties, eliminated an independent judiciary, marginalized NGOs, suspended the protection of human rights, and aligned Pakistani Intelligence agencies with the most radical elements of the Afghani Mujahadeen. Harper Collins $27.95